Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1887-08-19
M'ashinotuu Stauaarl
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Regular Correspondence Of the Standard.


Regular Correspondence Of the Standard.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 4, 1887.
Like q guilty ghost the Guiteau case
keeps weirdly bobbing up; not long
ago the bleached bones of the mad
assassin of the President we're rude
ly ratified before the Mortified vision
of the public, and now that dreadful
tragedy is again recalled by the at
tempted suicide of Guiteau's counsel,
Chas. H. Reed. And this circumstance
awakes in the minds of the supersti-
tious, feelings of awe and dread that
supernatural mystery surrounds the
affair, for they well remember the as
sassin's anathemas on everybody that
had ought to do with his case, and
strange to relate, nearly all Of these
persons have, within the brief period
of six years, became the victims of
unmerciful disaster" from the fore
man and most of the members of the
Jury who convicted Guiteau, up to the
District-Attorney who presented him,
the President who refused his pardon
and the Republican party, to which
he was blindly devoted, but, whose de-
feat in 1884 he confidently predicted
to say nothing of the multiplied mis-
fortunes Of witnesses, guards and
others.
Public Printer Benedict has made
convincing reply to the false and par
tisan charge of the New York Tribune,
that he is unfriendly to Union Veter-
ans and discriminates against them in
making discharges or appointments,
showing that there are more ex-Fed-
zal soldiers on the pay-rolls of the
Government Printing Office, than ever
before: "Of the 1850 in the office
500 are honorably discharged soldiers
and their widows and children" For
the first time in its history a census
of the Office has been taken, in order
to show who are properly protected
by the statute relating to soldiers,
their widows and children. Mr.. Rene-
dict says that the records of the Office
show that heretofore no attention was
given to Democratic veteran soldiers
in regard to appointments or protec-
ton under the statute. but it took
special care of Republican soldiers.
The present Printer has instituted
other useful reforms, such as replacing
old machinery with new, reducing q
needlessly large working force, expedit-
ing business, and last and best of all,
paying all employees twice a month,
instead of once, as was the custom un-
der Republican rule.
The report of the director of the
Mint for the month Of July shows
much smaller coinage than usual, ow-
ing to the fact that the Philadelphia
mint was closed for repairs during the
time. For that month the total coin
age was $4,000 pieces, of the value of
&1,96O O00-consisting of $50O,O0O in
eagles, $4,000 in half-eagles, and
5000 900 in standard silver dollars.
According to statement prepared
by the Treasury Department, there
was q decrease of $66,663,74S of the
cash in the Treasury for last month
and q decrease Of 4yO47,133 in the
circulstion-the decrease in cash being
chiefly in gold certificates. The only
decrease in circulation was that of
national bank-notes, amounting to
$3,573,O31. The national banks have
been notified by the Controller of the
Currency to report to him their con-
dition at the close of the business on
August 1st-the object being to ascer-
tain whether sufficient preparations
have been made by these corporations
to meet the demands for cash incident
to moving the growing crops of the
country; all banks that fail to respond
within . specified time will be fined
and the amounts collected and paid
into the Federal Treasury.
Secretary Lamar having called for
the annual reports of the heads of
Bureaus of the Interior Department
by Sept. 15th-a date much earlier
than usual-it is regarded as q pointed
indication that the Secretary is max
ing his preparations to take his seat
on the Supreme Court upon the meet
ing of the tribunal in October, but,
heretofore it has been the rule not to
fill = vacancy on the Supreme Bench
except during the session of Con-
gress.
There is strong feeling that Assis-
tant Secretary Muldrow should sue
coed to this possible vacancy, for his
splendid administrative ability, indie
fatigable capacity for work and his
earnest and intense sympathy with
the reform methods of the Admins
tration admirably equip him for the
great trust; and then his promotion
would be fine practical illustration
Of the principle of true civil service
reform-a case parallel to that Of Sec
Rotary Fairchild succeeding Secretary
Manning.
During these the dog-days, when
the air of this city is both hot and
humid, the President has abandoned
the regular Cabinet meetings at the
White House, and he and his con-
stitutional advisers now hold their
semi-weekley counsels rather inform
ally amid the grateful shades of Oak
View where the thermometer is ten
degrees lower than in the Evncut;vo